


Curly Girls

by starrika



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bechdel Test Pass, Black Hermione Granger, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Drabble, Gen, Hair care, POC Hermione Granger, missing moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 05:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11329278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrika/pseuds/starrika
Summary: Angelina Johnson has an intervention and Hermione finally learns how to style her hair. A missing moment from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.





	Curly Girls

“Merlin, Granger, what are you _doing_?”  
  
Hermione started, pausing with the brush in her hand. Angelina Johnson had come barreling into the fourth-year dormitory, interrupting her chat with Ginny.  
  
“Hey, Ginny. Got to talk to you about the practice schedule in a mo. Now, Granger, is that really the way your mum taught you to do your hair?”  
  
Hermione blinked. “Yes?” she said slowly.  
  
“What? Girl, _no_. You have kinky, curly hair,” Johnson replied, taking the brush from her.  
  
“I do not!”  
  
“Is that why it looks so frizzy?” Ginny asked.  
  
Hermione shrugged. “That’s just my hair. I have bad hair, always have. I don’t want to waste my day with all that Sleakeazy and spells that Lavender and Parvati used.”  
  
“Your hair is not ‘just frizzy.’ And don’t even get me started on the whole ‘bad hair’ thing. Black hair is _not_ bad hair! And I’m not advocating Brown and Patil’s flat hair job last year, either,” Angelina replied with a grimace, setting the brush down on the vanity with a heavy thwack. “Your hair isn’t quite as kinky as mine, but it’s definitely curly. I thought maybe you were just struggling since your mum did your hair at home, like mine – it was hell trying to learn how to braid when I first came to Hogwarts – but apparently, you just don’t know.”  
  
“Know what?” Hermione replied, exasperated.  
  
“You never brush black hair,” Angelina said simply.  
  
It took only a minute for understanding to dawn. “Oh. Well, my mum’s white. She has straight hair. I take after my dad,” Hermione added. “I’m really not into the girly stuff, Johnson.”  
  
“And I am?” Angelina said with a snort. “Right. Okay, I reckon I should have said something to you your first year then. Go get your hair things and give me a tic. I’ll show you how to do your hair. You’ll like it – it’s going to be far faster than trying to drag a brush through it.”  
  
Speed was apparently the right thing to say, as Hermione gave her a tentative smile and went off to the fifth-year dorm. After a few minutes, they reconvened, with Ginny looking on in interest. Angelina dumped a collection of bottles and combs onto the bed. “Let’s see what you’ve got first, Granger.”  
  
“Call me Hermione.”  
  
“Hermione, then,” Angelina replied with a grin. She picked up a few bottles, separating them, along with a few brushes and combs. She kept talking as she sorted. “There’s a grading system for curly hair – one through four, with one being straight and four being kinky. Then there’s A through C for the shape of the curl.” She plucked one of her twists and held it up. “This is styled, so you can’t really tell, but I’m mostly a mix of 4A and 4B. I reckon you’re a three something, since you’re mixed.”  
  
Angelina held up Hermione’s shampoo bottle. “This is actually fine. If you’re using a Muggle product, you want a shampoo without silicones. If you’re looking at Magical shampoos, you want to avoid any with Flobberworm mucus. And never use a shampoo spell. No matter how gentle it’s advertised, they’re way too harsh for our hair. Curly hair is dry, so it needs to be gently washed. You’re probably washing it too much – Muggles like to wash their hair every day. Well, that’s what Alicia told me anyway.”  
  
“That’s right,” Hermione replied.  
  
Ginny grabbed a piece of parchment off her bedside table and a quill. “Dad would love to know that.”  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes with a fond grin for Mr. Weasley’s obsession with all things Muggle. “Okay, so wash it less. What else?”  
  
“Moisture. Coconut oil, Jojoba oil, Shea butter, Argan oil, Puffapod oil – any of those will work. You have to find what you like. So, first you shampoo, then you want to put on a conditioner, remember to avoid silicones, and use a wide tooth comb to detangle your hair when it’s wet. But that conditioner’s really not enough to keep your hair in good shape long term. Use something smooth to get the water out of your hair, like a tee shirt or old robe, not one of the towels. You can even wrap your hair up in it overnight if you want to go to bed with wet hair and wake up ready. If you shower in the morning, to dry it, you want to use a diffusing spell, and not the regular drying charm. That’s too drying and will just make your hair puff.”  
  
“What’s the diffusing spell?” Hermione asked.  
  
“ _Spargo_. Wave your wand slowly over your hair, with only one pass over. Do it with your head flipped over so you don’t lose volume. That will get it mostly dry. You can use a small dab of Sleakeazy’s to smooth the curl, but don’t glob it in like Brown and Patil did – just the size of a sickle.”  
  
“That’s it?”  
  
Angelina nodded. “That’s it. Wait at least four or five days before shampooing again. And then the next time before you shower, put some oil in your dry hair first to keep it moisturized. I’ll give you some of my oils to try. And throw that brush out!”  
  
Hermione gave her a broad smile in return. “Thanks, Angelina.”  
  
Angelina grinned. “Happy to help a sister out. After we get back from Christmas hols, I can show you how to do some twists and braids.”  
  
Ginny sighed. “I’ve always wanted curls.”  
  
“Still won’t give you a soul, you ginger,” Angelina snarked. “Anyway, what I came up here to tell you Ginny, was that McGonagall managed to get us reformed. Sloper and Kirke are joining us as Beaters. We start practices again as soon as we get back.”  
  
Ginny whooped before helping Angelina collect most of her bottles and combs. “Brilliant!”  
  
“Yes, brilliant,” Hermione added, although Angelina doubted her pleasure related to Quidditch.  
  
“Any time,” she said, giving the girls a nod as she left the fourth-year dorms.

* * *

  
  
At breakfast the next morning, Angelina looked down the Gryffindor table when she heard a startled yelp. Hermione had arrived. Her brown hair tumbled over her shoulders in smooth, glossy spirals, and Angelina could see her blush through her bronze skin. Over the exclamations of the fifth years, Hermione’s turned to smile at her and mouthed _thank_ _you_.

 


End file.
